A Normal day in the Life of Demigod
by EvanescingSky
Summary: A series of vignettes on demigods all over the world discovering their powers, coming to terms with their heritage and setting off for Camp Half-blood.
1. Raja's Discovery

An updated version of Raja's story! I still know Raja is a boy's name, but this time I've made it more accurate and used Hindu gods instead of Greek ones.

* * *

"Thief! Get back here!" the enraged voice of the fruit vendor assaulted Raja's ears. But thanks to her brilliant and perfectly executed plan, she was already disappearing over the nearby rooftops. Other street urchins below cheered and whistled for her until the vendor shouted that he was going to have them all arrested. Raja herself stifled a grin as she grasped the edge of the roof she was on and swung down into the third story window of a decrepit old apartment building. She began to creep towards the door; her own on and off apartment was on the first floor.

As she went, she caught sight of herself in a mirror. She straightened, examining her glossy black hair, coated in dust, as was her dark, Indian skin. But it was her eyes that puzzled everyone. Instead of the normal rich brown of the Indians, hers were stormy gray, like the sky before a monsoon. She mentally shook herself and kept moving. Just because mirrors were rare in her life was no reason to go goggle-eyed.

She stretched her hand out, curling her nimble fingers over the doorknob, but before she could twist it, someone caught her wrist fast. Her heart skipped a beat, as always when she was caught, but years of pick pocketing had taught her to be calm is such situations. She turned and nearly had a heart attack. As though he had walked right off the walls of one of the Hindu temples, a man with an elephant head stood gripping her wrist. His eyes seemed to bore right into her soul and worse-they were the same color as hers!

Then the man/beast spoke.

"Why do you insist on using your intelligence for petty theft, Raja?"

The use of her name also startled Raja, but she played it cool.

"What's it to you? I do what I have to to survive," she said. Her eyes glowed defiantly as she spoke. She had taken care of herself for as long as she could remember. Despite this, looking him in the face made her stomach churn-what WAS he? "I wouldn't expect someone like you (_Whatever you are)_ to understand."

The man frowned and there was a flash of pain in his eyes. "It's time you learned," he said.

"Learned what? What are you-" Raja broke off because there was a blinding flash of light and then the pressure on her wrist vanished. When the stars faded from her eyes, she saw a sight so equal to the last in its bizarreness she could hardly believe it was there. In place of the manbeast, there was a creature that had the front half of a stag and the back half of a seal. _For the love of Krishna, _she thought. _What will this day bring next?_

"Um…nice…seal…deer…thing," she said hesitantly, wondering if it wasn't planning on lunging at her.

"Hello Raja," the creature spoke. "I have been sent to help you."

"Where'd the elephant guy go?" she demanded.

"If you are referring to Lord Ganesha, he has gone back to the realm of the gods, I assume," the creature said nervously. "I am Norbu, your protector."

"My protector? Protector of what? If you're my protector, where were you when I was starving? Or sick? Or arrested? Some protector you've been," Raja said scornfully.

"Lord Ganesha was only recently made aware of your existence. But that is beside the point. I am here to take you to Camp Half-blood."

"What?" Raja was starting to wonder if she wasn't going completely insane. Or had she smoked something and forgotten about it? Was she still asleep? Anything seemed more plausible than what was happening right now.

"Camp Half-blood. It's a camp for kids like you. Demigods. You are a daughter of Ganesha," Norbu explained. He sounded as if he'd had this conversation often-his tail wriggled with impatience.

"What does he want with me? My parents are gone," Raja said sullenly.

"He is the Hindu goddess of wisdom," Norbu replied, glancing over his shoulder.

"I don't believe in gods," Raja said. In fact, it had been a long time since she believed in anything but herself. What could one truly trust int his cold, cruel world? _Nothing. _There was a shout of thunder from outside.

Norbu started and clapped his hooves together. "Well, they believe in you, young Raja, and you are part of them, whatever you believe. You must come with me now! Now that you are aware of your heritage, the monsters will be on our tails!" He flicked his own anxiously.

Raja rolled her eyes, but she didn't see any reason not to play along with this yahoo. After all, she relished excitement, and here was a real adventure, right on her doorstep!

"Where exactly would we be going?" she asked.

"Punjab."

"And what-" Raja broke off at the sound of growling coming from a nearby window. Norbu's ears flicked back, flat against his head.

"Let's go!" He shoved her out the door with one hoof. "They're onto you!"


	2. Genevieve's Sorrow

"Joyeux anniversaire, Lina," Genevieve said softly, placing a bundle of freshly picked wildflowers at the base of the grave in front of her. A warm summer breeze made the trees rustle, the grass wave. Bees flew in lazy loops around her head and birds chirped nearby. The sky was cloudless. In this picturesque scene, the young woman, dressed in a white sundress and straw hat knelt. Her golden blonde hair fell well past her sun-kissed shoulders. From the basket at her side, she withdrew a miniature harp and began to play 'Cannon in D'. Her playing was exquisitely beautiful and the grief there was unmistakable. She couldn't have been more than 17 but her fingers played with the speed and skill of a lifetime of practice. She finished her song and gazed sadly at the grave. She reached out and traced the words there with one delicate finger.

_Sourmelina Marie Lafayette_

_1996-2008_

_A saint of a child_

A voice broke into Genevieve's thoughts, scattering them like so many sheaves of music. "It troubles me to see you so pained, my daughter."

Genevieve responded without turning. "If I am a demigod, and my father Apollo, why could neither of us save Sourmelina?"

"It was not our place. Nature has to take its course. Sourmelina was not meant for this world."

"Neither was she meant for the fields of Asphodel!" Genevieve cried, hunching over.

"I told you I would speak to my uncle."

Genevieve didn't reply, but began to pack up her harp and rearrange the music underneath it. Then she rose gracefully to her feet to face Apollo. His sky-blue eyes were watching her, concerned. "This is why I want you to go to Camp Half-blood. It will do you good to get away from this place," he said. A robin sang overhead, perhaps attempting to replicate one of Genevieve's earlier melodies. Genevieve looked back over her shoulder at the graves beside Lina's.

_Eponine Odette Lafayette_

_1963- 1998_

_Beloved wife and mother of two_

_Théodore Bruno Lafayette_

_1960- 1998_

_Husband and father of two_

"Alright. I'll go."


	3. Brook's Banishment

"This isn't fair!" Brook shrieked. "I don't belong upstairs!"

"You belong in Tartarus, with the other monsters in this world," Queen Persephone said coldly.

"Let me go! Father!" Brook screamed, but no one came to her aid. The skeleton soldiers grasping her arms roughly hauled her out of the palace. As she passed the door, she screeched, "Mother!" Persephone's lovely face twisted up with rage. "You'll never speak that word to me again, wretch!"

The skeletons dragged her, spitting and swearing furiously through the Underworld and threw her, none too gently, into Charon's river boat. Her hands were bound behind her back. Charon waved the skeletons off and began to slowly row across the Styx. Brook struggled into a sitting position, her obsidian eyes blazing. She didn't speak, and neither did Charon, until they reached the opposite shore. Charon cut her bonds and said gruffly, "Guess I'll see you 'round."

"Yeah." Brook turned to go.

"You watch yourself!" Charon called after her.

"Whatever!" Brook yelled back.

Inside, she fumed. How dare she? How dare that prissy, self-important Persephone banish her? What right did she have? And why did Hades let her? She knew her dad didn't like her, but this seemed a little extreme. She'd never get along upstairs! She'd spent her whole life in the Underworld!

As she trudged along, dead spirits turned to gaze at her, silently. They were much better than live people, Brook thought. Much quieter. Where would she even go? She couldn't go to Olympus; she wasn't any more welcome there than Hades was. That left one feasible choice. Camp Half-blood. She shuddered at the thought. Hades didn't even have a cabin there! That pissed her off. Why did everyone treat the Lord of the Dead like a plague, and his children too? But there was nowhere else to go. Brook's hand drifted to the bruise above her eye. She sighed. She knew why Persephone hated her. Because she'd never wanted a kid, and certainly not one sired by Hades.

But in Brook's opinion, she got what she deserved for getting drunk on the solstice. And of course, Brook had defied both her parents' wishes by turning out just like her dad. From her pale skin and raven black hair to her obsidian eyes and flammable temper, there wasn't a trace of Persephone in her blood. It didn't matter that she was her father's daughter. Hades took the Ice Queen's side every time. It was pathetic. As if by joining Persephone in hating Brook, she'd forgive him for kidnapping her. Brook's heart was heavy as she walked away towards the living, away from everything she'd ever know, up to a place she knew she didn't belong.


	4. Run Joseph, Run

Joseph only really fit in in the shop. Woodshop was normally his favorite class and he easily snagged an A every semester. But today, his mind was crowded with thoughts of the argument he'd had with his mother that morning. About his father. Joseph wanted to know more about the man who'd sired him and then vanished off the face of the planet, but his mother wasn't talking. And the never fought, which is why their argument so disturbed him. Both he and his mother were normally such easy-going people.

As he pondered this, something in the shop exploded. Rubble and debris flew across the room and kids screamed. Joseph's first impulse was to dive behind the counter he was working on and shield his candleholder with his body. His second was to run over and help. But he rapidly noticed that whatever had made that explosion wasn't gone. It was some kind of massive bull creature and it was snorting and snuffling around the equipment as if it were searching for something. It was also carrying an axe bigger than Joseph's head. Joseph recognized it as a Minotaur from a glimpse he'd seen in a school library book. But they were myths, right?

Apparently not. This one spotted Joseph and let out a roar that shook the windows. It charged at him and he barely had time to leap out of the way. It rammed into the band saw and sent the machine crashing across the room. Mr. Butcher, the teacher, was calling 911. Joseph grabbed a chisel as the bull charged again. _Why is it targeting me?_ He thought frantically. _This is just my luck. _He leaped up onto one of the counters and as the bull ran by, he jumped onto its back, hooking his muscular legs around its middle. He reached over and drove the chisel into one of its eyes. It bellowed and thrashed about wildly. Joseph let go, crashing to the ground. It spun to face him, the chisel still lodged in its eye socket. Joseph's calf brown eyes widened and he ran into the machine area. He paused beside the machine they used to cut long wood boards. Sure enough, the bull charged once more, howling with fury. Joseph held his ground as long as he could, and at the last second, jumped aside and pushed the bull into the machine. There was a sickening sound as the spiked wheel ground the bull into hamburger.

"Joseph!" Mr. Butcher called. "You are in so much trouble!"  
"Me? I didn't do anything!" Joseph cried, stunned.

"I saw you throw that cherry bomb! Explosives are not allowed here!"

Joseph knew that if Mr. Butcher hadn't seen the bull, and though he'd done this, he faced time in juvie. He did the only sensible thing. He took off out the hole in the wall, running as fast as he could, away from this place. New York was big. He could hide.


	5. Not Again

Evensong rubbed her wrists where the handcuffs had chaffed. Once they were outside, Evensong's mother gripped the roof of the car and lowered her head. "I can't keep doing this, Evensong. This is the last time." She broke off. "I just can't…"

"Mom," Evensong began.

"No! You heard Mr. Dodds. One more time, one more! And you go to jail. You have to stop this!"

"I can't help it!" Evensong cried. "It's like a compulsion or something! I just can't stop taking stuff."

Evensong's mother massaged her temples with one hand. "You're a mess, Evensong and I can't keep trying to put you back together. I need this job and I need to focus. I can't do that with you being arrested left and right!"

"I'm sorry, I am!" Evensong said. "I try, I do!"

"Not hard enough! Look, I know you're upset about your father, but it's been 11 years since then, Evensong. He's gone and he's not coming back." Her mother's face became drawn and aged, as it always did when she spoke of Evensong's absent father. Evensong bit her lip and glared at the ground. "Alright. I didn't want to do this, Ev, but you leave me no choice. Get in the car."

Evensong got in and saw a suitcase in the back. She pulled out a worn pack of playing cards and began to shuffle them nervously as her mother sped off. When they passed their neighborhood and exited the city limits, Evensong really started to worry. "Mom, where are we going?"

"I'm taking you to a special year round camp for kids with problems. Kids like you." Evensong looked out the window. _Ouch._ Countryside rose up around them after a while. Evensong's mother pulled over at a large sign that red 'Camp Half-blood'

Evensong got out too, taking her suitcase and looking around. Evensong got out of her mom's car. She still felt bad that her kleptomania had driven her mother to this. They looked at each other for a long time before Evensong threw her arms around her mother. "Bye mom," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. "I'll try to do better, I will."  
Her mother pried her arms off her. "I hope so," she said painfully. She handed Evensong her suitcase and got back in the car, leaving Evensong in a swirl of dust, facing the imposing new school. Her mother drove off and Evensong started walking up the hill. The sight of an old woman watching her stopped her progress. "Beware your allies, child of Hermes," the woman cackled. Evensong was taken aback. Then something even stranger happened: the woman vanished. Evensong blinked and rubbed her eyes, wondering if she'd imagined it. Then she resumed her trudge up the hill towards the place which was to be her home for an indefinite amount of time.


	6. Surprise, Ilsa!

"Ilsa, darling!" Aphrodite trilled. "I have the most wonderful surprise for you!" The goddess of love bounced into the room where Ilsa sat reading a magazine. "What is it, mom?"

"I'm sending you to camp!"

"What?" Ilsa nearly gagged on one of her M&Ms. "Why?"

"Oh, it'll be so much fun! You'll make lots of new friends and get to meet more of your siblings! And you'll learn how to be a hero!"

Ilsa pondered this for a moment, turning the page of her magazine. "But mom, I thought you wanted me to stay here. On Olympus."

"Well I did, darling, but I really think it would be better for you to mingle with people your own age. Especially the boys," Aphrodite added, smiling mischievously. Ilsa frowned and examined her magazine. Aphrodite came over and sat on the bed behind her. "Come on, sweetheart, you'll love it! You'll fit in so well with my other children!" Aphrodite waved her hand and held a mirror in front of Ilsa. "Just look at yourself. Truly my daughter."

Ilsa regarded herself in the mirror. She was Aphrodite's pride and joy, her perfect child. She had soft, porcelain skin, perfectly curled, raven black hair and best of all, her wide, sapphire blue eyes, framed with thick, long black lashes. Aphrodite had high hopes for her daughter Ilsa. "Please, love? I want this for you."

_Well, it would be an adventure…_Ilsa thought. _Certainly interesting…why not? _"Okay, I'll go," she agreed.

"Oh, excellent!"

Aphrodite trotted off to somewhere or another and Ilsa began to gather up her stuff, placing it in the purple trunk her mother had left behind. She hadn't cleaned out her room in years, and while she packed, she came across something that made her gasp and drop it as if it were a poisonous snake. A dirty old rag doll, still bearing the dried blood from the day Aphrodite had whisked her away to Olympus. A searing reminder of the life she'd left behind on Earth. Carefully, as though at any moment the doll would lash out and return her to the mansion of cruelty she'd endured, she picked it up by one filthy lock of hair and dropped it in the trash. "Vile old thing," she muttered.

As she finished up, Aphrodite came back and announced she'd made travel arrangements. Ilsa would be getting to camp by Pegasus. "Though I'm sure Apollo will miss you," she remarked as they walked down to the elevator. Ilsa smiled distantly. "Perhaps not as soon as we think!" Aphrodite laughed, seeing that Apollo was waiting by the elevator, presumably to see Ilsa off. "Hi Apollo. Or I guess I should say goodbye," Ilsa smiled.

Apollo walked over and gave her a hug. "I'll see you soon, okay cuz?"

"Of course. And you could always Iris-message me," she said.

"Ah, but that's not nearly the same as hearing that incredible voice of yours in person," Apollo sighed regretfully.

"One would think I was your child as well!" Ilsa's eyes sparkled with amusement. They'd had this conversation before.

Apollo just gave a mischievous smile and looked at the sky. "Have fun at camp, k?"

"Will do," Ilsa promised. She gave Apollo one last hug and got into the elevator.

"Oh! And Ilsa," Apollo held the door open. "If you see my daughter Genevieve, talk to her, will you? She's kinda depressed, but she can play piano like nobody's business. She'd give you great accompaniment."

"Right. I will."

Aphrodite pushed the doors closed and they rode off, down to the land of mortals, where Ilsa had no set foot since she was 12.


	7. Mom, we need to talk

Taro gazed moodily at the vines in his backyard. He couldn't believe that Haru and his loser pals had stomped his grape vines to mush. He reached down and picked up one limp, bruised leaf. Dead as a doorknob. Taro held onto the leaf, as if he could will life back into it. He looked out over the fence, holding his leaf and after a few minutes, when he looked back down he dropped the leaf with a gasp. It was good as new! There was a streak of health that was running down the vine, headed for the fruit. He just stared at the leaf, stunned. Then he let the warm energy flow through his body. _Come on, get better, get better, come on, _he thought. The vines sprang to life under his direct energy. Bruises healed, fruit swelled and the vines popped back into place. Taro gasped again.

"Crumbs! I wish I'd know I could do that earlier!" he said to himself. He walked around the garden, healing his plants and replacing them on their trellises. In just a few minutes, all the plants were healed, but Taro was exhausted. "What is this?" Taro mused to himself. He examined his hands. They didn't look any different.

"It's not in your hands, thickhead," a bored voice drifted to Taro's ears.

"Huh?"

"The power to control the vines. It's in your blood." Taro spun around and saw a plump man with curly black hair watching him from the center of a rainbow. "Who are you?" he asked.

The man sighed. "I can't believe you're really my son. I'm Mr. D, Taro. Otherwise known as Dionysus, Greek god of wine."

Taro furrowed his brows. "But the Greek gods are myths."

Dionysus sighed again. "No, we're not. I'm here, aren't I? Why did I bother sending you this Iris-message if you're going to waste it asking me stupid questions?"

"So, if you are real," Taro said skeptically. "What do you want with me?"

"Did you not hear me, flea brain? I'm your father."

"No, my dad's in the house." Taro pointed.

"For the love of Zeus! You stupid child, that mortal is not your father, I am! You are a demigod! Talk to your mother, and tell her to send you to this wretched Camp Half-blood now!" Dionysus vanished.

"Hey mom!" Taro called. His mother came out, wearing an apron with flour powdering her black hair, tied back in a bun. "Yes, Taro? What is it? And what happened to your plants? I thought they died…"

"Mom, is my father…I mean…dad's not my real father is he?"  
His mother sighed. "That's a long story Taro…"

"I've got a bit of time while I pack," Taro said, holding the door open for his mother.


	8. Time for Camp, Tzila!

Tzila slumped further down in her chair as her father walked in, holding Elam's hand. He flashed Tzila a look before sitting down across from the principle's desk.

"What has she done now?"

"She relentlessly torments her teachers, mocks the other students and has no respect for anyone!" the principle exclaimed, thumping one hand on the desk. "I have no choice but to expel her."

"Expel? But surely-"

"I'm sorry, Kasha, but I cannot deal with this. Toby's parents would be well within right to press charges."

Kasha sighed. "I understand. Come, Tzila."

Tzila rose immediately and followed her father outside and down the sidewalk to their apartment. Elam stuck his tongue out at her. She frowned at him and tossed her black bangs out of her eyes, where they promptly fell back into place. Kasha didn't speak until they were inside the door.

"Tzila! What am I to do with you? You can't keep using your powers this way!"

"Then tell me how to use them!" Tzila fired back.

Kasha rubbed his temples and Elam tottered off to go play. "Tzila…if I knew how, believe me, I would."

Tzila glared at her father and walked into her room. It was almost all black and the blinds were drawn. She picked up a bottle of black hair dye and tossed it away before flopping down on her bed and turning on her ancient computer. She checked her hair in a mirror and scowled. Her hair seemed bent on returning to its original shade of pure white. That's why she had to keep dying it. She wasn't going through that whole "old lady" thing again. She got up and pulled up deviantART on her computer and started to browse the latest deviations, when a voice startled her.

"Tzila, look at me." It was cool and sent a shiver down Tzila's back. She turned to see a flickering image of a black woman with snow white hair and pitch black eyes gazing at her from what appeared to be a rainbow. "Mom?" Tzila chewed her lower lip.

Nyx smiled. "Hello, my daughter."

"Uh…do you want me to get dad?" Tzila stood up so fast she knocked her chair over.

"No. This message is just for you. There is a place you must go, to learn about your powers. It's called Camp Half-blood, and it's at the edge of New York."

"New York? That's on the other side of the country! How can I get there?" Tzila cried.

"However you can, but you must. It is vital for you at this stage," Nyx said gravely.

"This stage?"

"Your powers are rapidly developing and you must learn to control them or they will destroy you."

"Destroy?" Suddenly, Tzila felt cold.

"Yes. But if you go to Camp Half-blood, you can learn to control your powers."

Tzila felt as if Nyx's words were giving her strength, giving her a direction to go. For the first time in a long time, she felt a glowing sense of hope about her future. "Okay mom. I'll tell dad right away."

"Good." Nyx smiled in a humorless way and her image began to fade.

"Wait! Mom!" Tzila cried, panicked that she was losing her mother.

"What?" Nyx's voice was distant and muffled.

"There's so much I want to ask you! Don't go!" Tzila begged.

"I must, child. I cannot stay, I-" Nyx's voice broke off and her image vanished.

"Mom!" Tzila sat back on the empty space behind her before remembering she'd knocked her chair over. Crossly, she got up off the floor and found that Nyx had left a pamphlet about camp behind. She wondered how she'd get there. They couldn't afford a plane ticket, and her father couldn't leave her five adopted brothers behind. She took a deep breath and walked outside. "Hey dad? Can I go to camp?"


	9. What a Day

"Och! Patrick! Watch where you're stepping!" Liam called absently to his little brother's friend. The two boys had begged Liam to take them down to the beach to play around and he had obliged, despite the cloudy weather. It was always cloudy in county Cork.

"Finian, look! There's a fish!" Patrick cried, pointing down at the water. Liam's brother Finian scrambled over to his friend to see the fish. The problem with the ocean off the coast of Ireland was that it was too cold for many animals or plants to live. Most often the water was as dark and cloudy as the sky.

Shoving his hands into his coat pockets, Liam started off down the beach, keeping the sounds of his charges in the back of his mind. He loved the chill of the wind on his cheeks. Absently, he started to compose a poem in his mind. Something about the love of Ireland and the wind…they must, as it was so windy here. Perhaps it was the wind trying to blow away Ireland's many sorrows.

Liam didn't tell anyone he wrote poetry except Aoife. His youngest sister understood and listened-she even gave him feedback on it. His mother didn't have time-what with four kids on her hands and his father as absent as the money in their bank account. Well, Liam's father anyway. Aoife, Finian and Kagen were triplets, born of some scumbag who'd left their mother in the dirt. Liam still burned with anger-he knew if he ever saw that man again, he'd make him sorry for ever showing his face at their house.

"Ai, Liam!" a voice called. Liam jerked himself free of his dark thoughts and turned to see, with a leap of his heart, Keeley O'Conner and her friend Shae walking towards him. The wind blew Keeley's honey blonde locks across her body, framing her face. Liam had to fight to find his voice.

"Hey Keeley!" he responded, waving a hand. He felt his cheeks heat up. Keeley and Shae caught up to him.

"What are you doing down here?" Keeley asked with a bright smile.

"Ah…just, uh, taking me brother and his friend down to the beach," Liam admitted, running a hand through his short red hair and looking at his shoes. "You?"

"We came to take me brother's boat out! But he wouldn't get it off the car for us and it's too heavy for Shae and I. So we thought we'd just take a walk," Keeley said.

"Hey Liam! You could get it down for us," Shae said eagerly. "The three of us could manage for sure!"

"You could come with us!" Keeley added.

"I don't know…" Liam said, shuffling his feet. "It looks awful stormy out, Keeley. And I have to watch Patrick and Finian…"

"There's room for all of us! Please, Liam?" Keeley begged, her ocean blue eyes piercing Liam's resolve like a pin.

"Sure," he said feebly. _Idiot!_ He scolded himself. _It's too stormy for a ride out on the ocean! What if something happens? _But another part of him easily dismissed his mother's warnings-parents were always too worried.

So he yelled at Patrick and Finian to stay put and trudged up to the parking lot with Keeley and Shae. The boat was quite heavy-it looked hand carved-but the three teens managed to get it down without crushing anyone. Patrick and Finian appeared nearby, wondering what was going on.

"Get the oars, would you?" Liam grunted, hefting the bow of the boat. The two little boys nodded and fetched an oar each.

Huffing and puffing they carried the boat down to the water's edge. It looked rather small to Liam, but the five of them managed to stuff themselves into it and push off.

"This is fun!" chirped Finian. "I love being out on the water!" He and Patrick shared an oar while the other rotated between Liam, Keeley and Shae. Liam flicked troubled brown eyes up to the skies, wondering if they'd been as dark a few minutes ago.

"Brr! It's chilly," Shae said, rubbing her arms.

"It looks like rain," Liam said distantly, gazing out at the horizon.

"Are you alright, Liam? You seem distracted," Keeley said. Liam snapped his eyes over to her-she sat right across from him, their knees touching.

"I'm fine," he said hoarsely. "Just tired is all."

They paddled around a while longer, mostly going in circles and being pulled out towards sea. Liam began to feel uneasy-they were too far from shore for his liking and the sea seemed to be churning faster and faster beneath them. All at once, the clouds broke and rain began to pour down on them. Shae shrieked and Keeley swore. Liam was surprised to hear a dirty word from her mouth-she seemed perfect to him.

"Paddle back to shore!" he ordered the boys. He took the other paddle from Keeley and started to row back. The rain was coming down in sheets and seeing became a near impossible task. Suddenly, Liam realized-with a cold feeling in his gut-he couldn't tell if they were paddling towards shore or away. "Stop!" he shouted. "Can anyone tell which way shore is?"

"No." Finian's voice sounded small.

"Me neither," Keeley said, shaking.

"I think we should wait it out," Liam said uncertainly. "I mean…it'd be worse it we paddle towards the sea, right?"

The others nodded slowly.

"But then the sea will just carry us out!" Shae cried.

The kids didn't have much time to worry about it-the waves, which had been steadily growing in size, finally succeeded in turning the boat over. Screams pierced the air as the five were turned into the icy Irish sea. Liam's head went under and pain shot through his head-the water was far too cold. He floundered around, managing to make it back to the surface. He raised his head, gasping for breath. Someone was still screaming.

"Shut up, Patrick!" he panted. The child ceased, his brown curls plastered to his head.

"What do we do?" Shae cried.

"How should I know?" Keeley replied, her eyes massive with fear. Another wave crashed over them, filling their mouths and lungs with water. Liam was pushed under again, his chest screaming for oxygen. Distantly, he could hear Keeley and Finian howling again. Anger surged through him-he wasn't going to die, not like this! And he wasn't going to let Keeley or Finian die either!

Warmth started to spread through his body. To his amazement, his clothes felt dry. A massive wave swelled beneath them, gathering them up in its girth. The others were screaming again, but Liam was in shock. The anger drained away and almost immediately, the wave stopped its growth. It slammed into the water, pushing the kids under the water again.

Liam flailed around and felt sand under his foot. Sand! He pushed off and broke the surface. They were closer to shore, he was sure of it!

"Everyone get over here!" he bellowed. Keeley and Patrick swam over, followed after a few moments by Finian.

"Where's Shae?" Keeley wailed.

"Wait here," Liam ordered. He started to swim out, looking for a black head somewhere in the water. His eyes caught a flash of purple and he dove under the water, grabbing onto Shae's jacket. He dragged her back over to the others, his muscles screaming in protest. Not sure exactly what he was doing, Liam wrapped his arms around the group and focused on his desire to keep them save.

_Oh, God save us, _he prayed.

He felt them start to move and his eyes flew open in surprise. They were shooting towards shore. Liam didn't have the energy to wonder what was going on-he just knew he wanted them to keep moving. At last the ocean coughed them up on shore. They collapsed in the wet sand, drained of energy.

"Keeley! Keeley!" A voice broke into their exhaustion.

"Killian?" Keeley wearily raised her head. Her brother, trailed by Shae's mother, came charging down the beach towards them.

"Thank God!" he exclaimed, falling on his knees beside Keeley. "Keeley, I told you not to take the boat out!" Killian growled, shaking her. "What's wrong with you? D'ya want to die?"

"I'm sorry Killian," she sobbed.

"It's not her fault," Liam gasped. "I took the boat down for them."

Killian towered over him, even kneeling. "Are you soft in the head?"

"Liam saved us!" Finian boasted, shivering.

"We need to get them out of the rain now!" Shae's mother cried, holding her unconscious daughter in her arms. Killian agreed and they gathered everyone up to move.

They showered and got fresh clothing at the O'Conner's. Shae's mother took her to the hospital, to make sure she was alright. Liam called his mother, got a long lecture, and assured her everyone was alright. At last, Liam took Finian and told Keeley's father he should get home. Keeley caught up with him at the door.

"You were great out there, Liam," she said softly. Her wet eyelashes were clumped together, Liam noted.

"I-I don't even really know what I did," Liam replied.

"Well, I'm grateful no matter what," she said. She leaned up and kissed his cheek before vanishing back into the house. Blushing so furiously he was sure his freckles were now invisible, Liam trotted down the path towards home. Finian was already well on his way.

As he shuffled towards the house, Liam became aware of eyes watching him. He looked up and saw a wild-looking man standing by the side of the road. He had curly black hair falling halfway down his back, moody sea-green eyes and pale skin. He wore a strange greenish robe that was open at the chest and only came down to his knees. In one hand, he held a kind of spear. Liam slowed his walk, but kept onwards.

"Liam McClure," boomed the man when he got closer. Liam nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded, shaking.

"I am Lir," the man said. "And you are my son."

"Huh?"

"You are my son," Lir repeated. "You didn't really think you could have accomplished that feat out there in the ocean if you were not my kin, did you?"

"In the ocean?" Liam repeated, feeling like an idiot. "What are you talking about?"

"The wave! The currents!" Lir growled impatiently. "You did that!" Muscle rippled beneath his ghostly pale skin.

"Me?" Liam squeaked. "How?"

"Because you're the son of a bloody sea god, that's why!" Lir roared. "What the devil do you think? Don't any mortals know anything these days?"

Liam wanted to ask what he meant by a sea god, but he was too afraid to ask. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked quietly.

"Because you need to learn," Lir snapped. "Go to Camp Half-blood. It's out in the country," he added, seeing Liam open his mouth to ask. "Your mother might know."

"If you're my dad…" Liam began hesitantly.

"Liam," Lir began, closing his eyes tiredly. "I realize that your life has not been the easiest. But I do not have time to muddle around with mortals. I am very busy."

"You found time enough to muddle around with my mom!" Liam shouted, finding his voice in anger. Lir sighed.

"A mistake," he said softly. "I should not have…become involved…we have not…for many centuries…Irish demigods are very rare," he told Liam. "For a good reason. They have been twice as persecuted."

"Why?" Liam asked, his temper cooling.

"Because of the English," Lir said in a low, dangerous voice. "They didn't want any powerful Irish around to fight them. All demigods, once discovered or even suspected, were killed on sight and often in terrible ways." Liam paled. "But things are slightly better nowadays…Liam, I have to go. Go to Camp Half-blood. It will be good for you." There was a flash of aqua blue light and Lir was gone.

Liam stared at the spot for a moment. The boat, Keeley's kiss, Lir…

"Och, what a day," Liam sighed, running a hand through his hair. He needed to talk to his mom…


	10. Arrivals: Raja

Since I got so many requests to continue this, here's the arrivals of the kids at camp. I also put the date they arrived, and you'll notice some of them have been here longer than others.

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**Raja 9-15-2010**

Raja and Norbu were booking it towards camp; they could see the boarder which Norbu had proclaimed safe. Hot on their heels were a pair of massive hellhounds, bright red eyes ablaze with fury at their escaping quarry. "Norbu! You go ahead, I'll hold 'em off! Get help!" Raja shouted.

She turned to face the hellhounds without stopping to see if Norbu had followed her instructions. She stood her ground as the hellhounds closed in and when they were just a few feet away she dove and rolled between them. She got to her feet, slashing her swords out to the sides and cutting the legs of the hounds, who howled with pain. They turned to face Raja with blazing red eyes, blood dripping from their slavering jaws. Hot breath that reeked of decaying flesh blew over her and Raja staggered backwards. The one on the right charged and Raja plunged her sword into its chest, but it kept moving, jerking her arm off to the side and dragging her along until she let go of her sword hilt. It stumbled over its paws and Raja took the chance to look over at the camp.

A group of demigods was charging down the hill, swords raised. They swarmed over the hellhounds. With the reinforcements, Raja felt herself be rejuvenated. She joined the other demigods in driving off the hellhounds. At last the hellhounds turned tail and Raja stopped, panting. The cut on her forehead, from a previous monster attack, had opened up again and blood dripped down into her eyes. "Thanks," she managed to a black-haired girl who seemed to be leading the half-bloods.

"It's our job," the girl said shortly. Raja noticed uneasily that the girl had black eyes. Pure black. A claw-like scar traced a path over one of her eyes. "Reed!" she barked. "Show the new girl to the Apollo campers! They've got some healing to do!"

A girl about her age, with auburn hair and hazel eyes jogged over, holding a bronze sword. "Right," she said. "Come on." She started off up the hill and Raja trudged after her. Reed led her through what might have been a normal camp, but for the weapons and Greek god stuff everywhere. Reed led her to a white cabin with yellow flowers outside. "Carson!" Reed yelled.

A golden haired boy and girl came out, looking as if they carried the rays of the sun itself. The boy walked over to Raja with the girl trailing in his wake. Her large blue eyes swept over Raja curiously. Raja narrowed her eyes, to let this girl know she wasn't some curio to be goggled at. The girl flicked her eyes down to the grass, embarrassed.

The boy put a hand on Raja's shoulder and she felt warmth spreading through her whole body and the blood stopped flowing from her cuts. She could actually feel them sealing up. When he drew away, Raja examined her arms and face in amazement. "That's a pretty handy trick you got there," she said, impressed.

"All Apollo children can heal, to some degree," Carson said. "I'm Carson, and this is Genevieve." He indicated the shy girl behind him. "She doesn't speak much English."

"Nice to meet you," Raja said curtly, nodding. She felt relieved that Norbu had thought to teach her English as they travelled. "I'm Raja, daughter of Athena, I guess."

"Welcome to Camp Half-blood," Carson said, running a hand through his hair.

"Come on," Reed said, starting away. "Let me show you to the Athena cabin." She flashed a grin. "Looks like I have another new sister."


	11. Arrivals: Genevieve

**Genevieve 9-12-2010**

"Well, here you go kiddo. I'll see you around." With that Apollo parted, leaving Genevieve to stand fearfully in front of the centaur, Chiron, Apollo had called him.

"Jake can show you to the Apollo cabin," Chiron said, ushering a young satyr forward. Genevieve stared uncomprehendingly at him. "Quoi?" she asked. Chiron frowned. "You don't speak English, do you? Apollo really should have mentioned that…"

"I speak little English," Genevieve said, her words so distorted by her accent it was hard to make them out. That was, as a matter of fact, the only thing in English she knew how to say. Chiron studied her for a moment. "Well, you can lean that instead of Ancient Greek then. One language at a time. Jake!"

Jake reached out to take Genevieve's one bag, but she clutched it closer to her. The satyr's hand fell limply to his side. "Well…just follow me," he said. Chiron gestured for Genevieve to follow Jake, so she did. He led her to a white cabin with a wraparound deck and yellow flowers sprouting around it. There were some instruments scattered about the deck, and various sheaves of music. Her eyes brightened and she reached for a sheet.

"New Apollo girl, huh?" came a voice. Genevieve spun to see a golden-haired boy leaning in the doorframe.

"She's just arrived," Jake spoke up for her. "But she doesn't speak much English."

"Another French one?"

"Uh, yes. I'll just go then…" Jake trotted off. "Dionysus will be waiting."

Genevieve watched the boy warily. She hated this feeling of not being able to understand what people were saying. They talked so fast! He moved slowly towards her and took the sheet of music from her. "Do you play lyre?" he asked, jerking his head towards the instrument. As with most Apollo children, his voice was smooth and fluid.

She shook her head. She wracked her brains for the right words. "Harp," she said at last. "And piano."

"Ah. Come with me." He turned towards the cabin. "Well come on! I'm not going to hurt you," he said with a smile. Reassured, but still wary, Genevieve followed. Inside the cabin, white bunk beds lined the walls. Square windows gave views from both levels. "Just take any bed," he said. "I'm Carson, by the way."

Genevieve tentatively set her bag down on a lower bunk. Carson waved her to a back room, filled with every musical instrument you could imagine. "There," he said, pointing to the harp.

Genevieve's crystal blue eyes lit up and she almost ran to the harp, sitting down at it and began to play 'Amazing Grace'. Carson grinned. "Good pick little sister." He sang along, with perfect tune of course. He broke off amidst verse two, to listen to her. Genevieve was especially gifted, even for a daughter of Apollo.

Footsteps sounded in the cabin, heralding the return of some of the Apollo campers from Pegasus training. "Hey guys!" Carson called. "We got a new camper!"

Genevieve just wanted to sink into the ground. A group of about five or six Apollo kids trooped in and regarded her.

"Can she play?" asked one boy with dirty blonde hair.

"You bet!" Carson said. "Show 'em Gen."

Genevieve gave Carson an odd look, not sure how she felt about the new nickname, but began to play 'My Immortal' by Evanescence. The group didn't make a sound until she'd finished and then applauded.

"Bravo, little sister!" said boy 1. "Welcome to the Apollo cabin! I'm Toby. These morons are Jessica, Lily, Kyle and Terrence."

"Bonjour," Genevieve muttered, feeling her cheeks burn because she couldn't speak English.

"That's another thing," Carson said. "She doesn't speak English."

"We can fix that!" said Lily, a girl with short, curly blonde hair, with a warm smile.


	12. Arrivals: Brook

**Brook 12-11-2006**

Snow blew hard through New York, coating the city in white. Christmas music played, and bright lights shone everywhere, though most people were tucked up at home during the storm. A lone figure struggled through the snow, her raven black hair standing out starkly against the pure white of the snow. Behind her trails a wolf-like black dog, head lowered, pushing their way through the blizzard.

"Stupid snow, dumb ugly upper world! Hateful Persephone!" the girl muttered to herself in ancient Greek. "Lazy Hades! Damned mortals!" She pulled her black jacket tighter around her as the wind threatened to tear it free.

She took out a map to check their position and it was promptly torn from her grasp.

"Mother of Kronos!" she yelled. She paused in her simmering rage as she saw three figures approaching opposite her at a rapid pace. As they got closer, she could make out a general shape: Three massive serpents. "I hate you Persephone!" she screamed as she took off running, leaping the gap between the road and the hill of grass next to it. The dog followed her and they scrambled through the biting snow, ice sticking to fur and eyelashes. But it was no use. The serpents were far faster than the young demigod and her hellhound. She realized this and drew her sword, ready for battle.

As the snakes drew near, the hellhound dropped into a defensive crouch, growling in a blood-chilling way. Brook, for that was the name of the demigod, drew her stygian iron sword, her obsidian eyes blazing, and stood her ground. The first snake reached her and lashed out with it's fangs. She rolled and dodged. Up close she could see they were dark green, with yellow diamonds on their backs, bright red eyes and vicious fangs. She slashed at the second with her sword, drawing blood. The snake hissed and nipped at her. They were amazingly fast. Midnight the hellhound lunged at the third snake and they rolled over in battle.

Brook had no time to worry about her pet; she was preoccupied with the other two snakes. The first made another go for her and she stabbed at its neck, spattering the snow with more yellow-ish blood. Snake 2 began to wind itself around her body and she twisted her arms around, now pinned to her sides, until she managed to get her blade against the snake's side. She leaned her wait into it, so the creature loosened its grip, making some sort of yakking sound. Nearby, Midnight yelped with pain as Snake 1 aided in the battle against her. Brook freed her sword arm cut off a good portion of Snake 2's tail. It hissed and let her go, thrashing around on the sand. She lopped its head off in a quick strike and ran to help Midnight.

The hellhound was still fighting, but growing weak rapidly. Her blood stained the ground around them. Snake 1 hissed and lunged at Brook. The girl stood still and stabbed upwards, piercing through the roof of the snake's mouth. She gasped in pain as she freed her sword, as one of the fangs had stuck her arm. She shook her head to clear it and saw the remaining snake hovering over her hellhound's prone body. Filled with fury over the whole affair, she charged at the snake and sliced it clean in half. In a dying strike, it sank it's teeth into her calf. She shouted and crumpled to the ground, pain making her head spin. She forced herself to her feet and began to stumble towards a nearby hill with a lone pine tree.

"Ως τα μεσάνυχτα," she called weakly. "Come, Midnight."

Midnight staggered to her paws and followed Brook like a drunk dog. Brook didn't know why the hill called to her, help was probably the other direction, but she knew it was too late for her anyway. Her mind was dizzy and foggy with the poison of the snakes, and blood left a trail in her wake. Still she pressed onwards, stubbornly determined to reach the top of the hill. She fell nearing the top and dragged herself the last few feet. She lay on the hill and fancied she could hear someone call "A hellhound! At the camp boundary!"

"Don't hurt her," she murmured as darkness overtook her vision. There was a moment of alarming vertigo and she collapsed.


	13. Arrivals: Joseph

So, this one's a little short, sorry about that. I have to get used to writing from a guy's POV. But here it is: Joseph's arrival at Camp Half-blood. Also, since I had never planned for these to be more than one-shots, I'm open to ideas that I could write more about.

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Joseph 8-4-2010

Joseph's stomach growled as he hiked along the country road. A stray mutt loped along at his side. It had been 3 days since he ran away from home, and he'd been on the news for allegedly bombing his high school. He flinched away from the image of his mother, home alone, weeping and wondering where she'd gone wrong. He badly wanted to see her, to tell her what really happened, but it was too dangerous to try to return to his neighborhood.

So instead he was here, going out towards the woods at the edge of New York. He saw a hill in the distance, past an old sign for a strawberry farm. He decided to stop by and see if he could do some work in exchange for some strawberries. He'd run out of pocket change on the first day.

"Come on Hercules!" he called to the mutt. It was a red and white dog, about two feet tall at the shoulder, with dirty, matted fur. It followed Joseph happily, tail wagging. Hercules led the way up the hill to where a lone pine tree stood. Joseph saw a lot of small buildings arranged in a U shape, and a large barn. He wondered what they were all for. How many buildings did a strawberry farm need?

As he walked down the hill a girl with silvery eyes and curly black hair stopped him.

"Who are you?" she demanded, eyes hard.

Joseph was surprised by her hostility. _Perhaps they have a lot of…thieves_, he thought to himself. But who would steal strawberries?

"I'm Joseph," he said gruffly, hoping she hadn't seen the news recently. But the girl's eyes were fixed on something over his head. He looked up in time to see a shining hammer and anvil disappear from where if had been floating over his head. "Whoa."

"Child of Hephaestus," the girl murmured.

"What?"

"You've studied Greek mythology, right?" she asked.

"A little," Joseph said, narrowing his eyes. What was she up to?

"Come with me," she said decisively.

Joseph sighed. He glanced over at Hercules, who wined. The girl was already marching off, her black hair swinging behind her. Hercules started to trot after her.

"Traitor," Joseph muttered. He shuffled after his dog and the girl.

Around an hour later, Joseph was being led to the Hephaestus cabin by the head, a sturdy, unattractive girl named Leye. It turned out his dad was the Greek god Hephaestus. Well, you learn something new every day. It certainly explained a lot. His father's absence, his skill with machines and woodshop, and the bizarre bull creature. The silver-eyed girl-Nyra, daughter of Athena- had called it a Minotaur.

When Joseph walked into the Hephaestus cabin, he gasped. It was full of little machines, schematics, blueprints and tools.

"Downstairs is the forge,"Leye said in a rough voice. Muscle rippled along her arms, and Joseph thought she could probably take every boy in his school in a fight.

"Wicked," Joseph said. It was like a dream. "And uh, do we live here year round?" he asked, tracing his hands over a half-made 'bot on a battered wooden table.

"Only some of us," Leye said, clearing a bunk of a tool bag and metal bits. "Most of us go home for the year. You can sleep here."

"Thanks." Joseph pulled his phone out of his pocket and set it on the bed. It was his only possession. Instantly, Leye confiscated it.

"No phones. They're dead give-aways to where demigods are. You'll have monsters swarming all over you if you use this thing."

"Alright," Joseph said irritably. "Give me my phone back; I won't use it."

Reluctantly, Leye returned the phone. Joseph set it back on the bed, where Hercules had taken up residence, and then went downstairs to examine the forge.

"Feel free to use anything, but if you break it, you gotta fix it!" Leye called.

Joseph felt a little glow at the sight of the forge and an unwilling smile quirked his mouth. This was where he really belonged.


	14. Arrivals: Evensong

**Evensong 10-20-2010**

Evensong continued her march towards the hill, feeling as if she were making a mass exodus. As she approached the hill she saw a dark-haired Indian girl practicing what looked like sword work by a lone pine tree. She furrowed her brow. This place just kept getting weirder and she hadn't even reached it yet.

"Hey, do you know where Camp Half-blood is?" she asked, walking up to the girl, who swung her sword point against Evensong's throat. "Hey! Are you nuts man?"

"Who are you?" the girl demanded.

"Evensong, daughter of April, 15, occasional Christian. I'd like to give my stereo to my friend Apple and my DS to Cherry. I'd also like to apologize for having unclean thoughts about my history teacher."

"Who's your dad?" the girl asked.

"I don't know," Evensong said resentfully. "He left when I was a baby."

The girl lowered her sword and Evensong breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't going to die after all.

"I'm Raja. Welcome to Camp Half-blood." She waved her hand over the backside of the hill. Evensong stepped closer and saw several cabins arranged in a U-shape, an arena, a barn and some strawberry fields. Evensong rubbed her neck.

"Was the sword-point at my neck greeting really necessary?" she asked, glancing over at Raja, who just shrugged.

"I'm on guard duty. But I'd better take you to Chiron." She led Evensong down the hill and over to the barn, calling out to a short boy as he passed.

"Hey Greg! Take my guard duty, will ya? I got a newbie here."

Greg nodded and ran off towards the hill. As soon as they entered the barn, Evensong was sure she'd smoked a joint after getting out of the car and forgotten it. Her eyes were assaulted by the most bizarre scene she'd even laid eyes on. A man in leopard tights, a Hawaiian shirt and a purple sweatband, with curly black hair sitting down playing cards with a half-man half-horse while a goat-boy stood nervously by.

"God, I need to lay off the smokes," Evensong said, rubbing her head.

Raja looked amused. "It's all real, sister. Chiron, here's the new one."

The horse-man nodded, and proceeded to explain to Evensong that she was the daughter of a Greek god. Of course she didn't believe this, but as she was stumbling away towards the table, she managed to snatch a few gold coins and slip them into her pocket without being noticed.

"Put those back!" Mr. D snapped, interrupting Chiron's speech. Evensong's eyes widened. How could he have seen her? Nevertheless, she withdrew the coins from her pocket and set them back on the table. "I think we know where this one belongs," Mr. D continued. "Another thief. Just what this camp needs."

Raja flashed her a crooked grin and nodded appreciatively.

"It's a condition," Evensong repeated what her doctor had told her. "It's-"

"I know what it is! All you children of Hermes are kleptomaniacs! Where the devil is Autumn?"

"You mean August?" Raja asked.

"Whatever," Dionysus sounded like he was losing patience. If he ever had any to start with.

Raja ran off and reappeared a few moments later with a sleepy-looking boy trailing after her.

"Hi, I'm-" he broke off in a yawn. "August. Son of Hypnos. You must be-" Another yawn. "The Hermes kid."

"I'm Evensong," she said. Hypnos was which god again?

"Let me show you to our cabin," he said, stretching. His eyes were starting to close, like he'd fall asleep right here. Raja thumped him in the side with the hilt of her sword and he jolted awake. He waved for Evensong to follow, and she trotted after him, clutching her weary suitcase.

He led her to a dull, ancient cabin that could have belonged at any summer camp. Waving her inside, she saw it was conspicuously empty.

"Haven't been many-" Yawn. "Demigods lately. Something might be up on Olympus." August sat down on a bed as Evensong set her suitcase on the adjacent bunk.

"Want to see a card trick?" she offered with a mischievous smile, pulling out her usual deck.

"Sure," August mumbled.

Still sporting her grin, she walked over and sat next to him.

"Pick a card, any card…"


End file.
